Spinning-top



A. D. CONVERSE.

SPINNING IOP.

APPLICATIDN FILED MAY 16. 1918. RENEWED Oct 18. 1919.

1,325,000. Patented D011 16,1919. I

AiheL-lbn D. Cancers/e, %v/6JQ/ZT 6 61 I nnirnn srars rnrnnr onnron ATHEBTGN D. CONVERSE, 0F WINCHENDON, MASSACHUSETTS.

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mean-o0.

Application filed May 16, 1918, Serial No. 234,934.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ATHERTON D. CON- vnusu, a citizen of the United States, resident of lVinchendon, Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in SpinningTops, of which the "following is a specification.

lily invention relates to the general class of tops which consist of a bodyor casing with a central spindle having a handle portion projecting above the body, said parts being assembled so that they may rotate in relation to each other, a spiral spring surrounding the spindle within the casing and attached at one end to the bodyor casing and at its other end to the spindle, an example of such form of top being shown in Letters Patent of the'UnitedStatesgranted to Gustave Haag, #453,473, June 2, 1891. Such form of top is difficult to wind upas it has no means for temporarily holding the two parts, spindle and body, while the operator moves his hand orcfi'ngers for a new hold and itrequires the use of both'hand's 111:S6tt111g the top, after winding, in position to spin or'in other words Control of the top by both hands must be maintained until the top is set off. To avoid these objections 'a later form of this general type of top has been-provided with a ratchet like connection 3 between the spindle and the casing or body which would hold these parts in the wound up or partially wound .up'condition until anew hold is secured for winding-or, if wound, until by pressing down on the spindle the ratchetdevice would cease to function as a holding means and the spring would then'set the body going in relation to the spindle, control ofwhich by the'hand is momentarily maintained after the release of the ratchet.

Such a v:torm of ratchet device is exemplified inhLetters Patent. of the United States, #1,-25,3,1-95, to Schoell, January 8, 1918.- a v I have provided a top in which no ratchet means is present but yet the same effect can be secured bythe fingers of one hand of the operator, that'is maintaining the body or the spindle in their partially wound up condition while the operator takes/a newhold with his other hand for further winding or, in case'the winding is completed, maintaining the parts in this condition until the operator sets the top with one hand ready out in the claims.

and of various kinds of material.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec, 16, 1919,

Renewed October 18, 1919. Serial No. 331,749.

to spin and until he releases the body for combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side view of the top. Fig. 2 is a sectionalview. Fig. 3 is a plan view. i In the drawing, 1 indicates the'body or casing which may be made of various shapes In the particular form shown the material is thin sheet metal such as tin. A s'pindle'2 preferably of wood extends through a bearing at the top of the casing or body and it 'is rotativelyassembled with the lower portion of the casing. This may be accomplished 1n different waysbut in theparticular construction shown thespindle passes with a turning fit through-'aplate 3 suitably fixed 1n the "casing. In the particular form shown the sheet metal of the casing is formed to provide a shoulder at 4 for'the plate to rest on and a tang may beprovided at 5 to hold the plate in place.

The body or casing is providedwith a stud 6 extending down therefrom which furnishes the point which bears on Qthesupporting surface on which the top spins. This point may be held to the sheet metal by a washer? forced onto the reduced shank 8 of the oint. The spindle extends above, the casing or body and is provided with asuitablehandle 9 by which the spindle may be turned to wind up the spring 10. This-spring is of spiral form. It surrounds the spindle and is attached thereto at its upper end while its lower end is attached to the casing or body and while this may be done in and disposition'in respect: to the handle that when said handle portion of the spindle, whatever the'shape or size'thereof may be, is grasped'by the thumb and forefinger these digits can overlap the same and press thereon at the will of the operator or the operator may exert so little or no pressure of his thumb and forefinger on the side or circumferential surface of this boss that the free movement of the body or casing in relation to the spindle is not retarded or interfered with.

In winding the top the operator holds the body or casing in one hand and with the other hand he grasps the handle por' tion of the spindle and gives the same one turning action and at the end of this movement he grasps not only the handle but also the side surface of the boss or shoulder. He is enabled to do this for, as stated above, a portion of the thumb and forefinger which grasps the handle also overlies the said surface and can press thereon at the will of the operator. While thus holding the casing or body and the spindle against relative turning movement the other hand can be shifted to take a new hold on the body for the next turning movement and in performing this the operator relieves the pres sure of his fingers on the shoulder or boss and simply turns the spindle or the body or both. When the top is fully wound it may be held in this condition by the one hand so that the top may be set in the desired position for spinning, whereupon by releasing his hold first from the boss and then from the handle the top is set off and spins by reason of the uncoiling of the spring.

I prefer to form the handle portion of the spindle by providing an enlargement, as shown, at its upper end and this preferably has flattened sides at 13 so that not only can the spindle be more readily turned but there is a momentary dwell between the time the fingers release the boss and the time they release the handle portion of the spin-- dle and this slight difference in time'is sufficient to allow the spring to set the body in rotation for the spinning of the top.

It will be seen from the above that the fingers of the hand which grasps the spindle acting on the adjacent surface of the body or casing which they overlie serve as the brake means to hold the body against rotation as long as the operator continues to exert pressure of his fingers on said surface. To express the matter in another way, the operators fingers of the hand grasping the spindle serve in connection with the adjacent part of the body in place of the pawl and ratchet means heretofore employed as referred to above.

I claim 1. A spinning top comprising a body or casing, a spindle mounted therein for relative rotation of one in relation to the other, a spring connected to the spindle and body and ada ted to be wound by turning one part relative to the other, said spindle having a handle portion above the body and said body having a portion to be grasped by the fingers of the hand grasping the handle por-- tion to hold the body and spindle against relative movement, substantially as described.

2. A spinning top comprising a body or casing, a spindle mounted therein for relative rotation of one in relation to the other, a spring connected to the spindle and body and adapted to be wound by turning one part relative to the other, said spindle having a handle portion above the body and said body having a portion to be grasped by the fingers of the hand grasping the handle portion to hold the body and spindle against relative movement, said body portion consisting of a boss or shoulder adjacent the handle portion of the spindle, substantially as described.

3. A spinning top having a body, a spindle journaled therein, a spring to spin the top adapted to be wound by relatively turning the parts, said spindle having an enlarged handle portion above the body and said body having a portion adjacent the handle which the fingers of the hand grasping the handle can overlie and grasp for holding the parts against relative movement when wound or partially wound, substantially as described.

4. A spinning top having a body, a spindle journaled therein, a spring to spin the top adapted to be wound by relatively turning the parts, said spindle having an enlarged handle portion above the body, said body havinga circular portion adjacent the handle and of a diameter substantially equal to the width of the handle and which the fingers of the hand grasping the handle can overlie and grasp, substantially as described.

5. A spinning top having a body, a spin dle journaled therein, a spring to spin the top adapted to be wound by relatively turning the parts, said spindle having an enlarged handle portion above the body, said body having a circular portion adjacent the handle and of a diameter substantially equal to the width of the handle and which the fingers of the hand grasping the handle can overlie and grasp, said circular portion being in the form of a boss or shoulder of reduced diameter in respect to the body of the top, substantially as described.

6. A spinning top having a body, a spindle journaled therein, a spring to spin the top adapted to be wound by relatively turning the parts, said spindle having a handle portion above the body non-circular in form, said body having a circular portion adjacent said handle which the fingers of the hand grasping the handle can overlie and also grasp, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof. I afiix my si nature,

ATHERTON D, CONVERSE, 

